By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday requested the Delhi High Court to consider hearing urgently a plea seeking suspension of construction activity on some stretches of the Central Vista project due to the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in the capital.
A bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari requested the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court to consider an urgent hearing. “Since the matter is pending before the high court and the appeal is against the order of adjournment, we are not inclined to enter into the merits of the case,” the bench said.
The court was hearing a plea filed by Anya Malhotra and Sohail Hashmi, who had approached the high court, questioning the urgency in carrying on with construction activity on three stretches of the Central Vista area during the peak phase of the pandemic in the capital, when oxygen is in short supply and the healthcare system has collapsed.
On May 4, a Delhi High Court bench led by Chief Justice DN Patel adjourned the matter to May 17, saying he needed some time to read the Supreme Court judgment of January 5, giving a clearance to the Central Vista Avenue Redevelopment Project.
The long adjournment was challenged before the top court. The plea said that there is urgent need of stopping work, which entailed construction activity on Rajpath and the surrounding lawns from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhawan.
